Life goes on
by vampyrknight
Summary: The relationship between Jack and Pat, the new publisher of the National Register, starts to bloom after Pat finally sees that Hulk is in fact real. This story takes place directly after "Proof Positive."
1. The Truth

**"Life goes on"****  
****By: LonelyInvisible******

**Pat had read all of her father's papers, every one of them, and it had been Jack McGee's fanciful stories that had always caught her attention. They were beautiful, detailed and realistic; and she'd always wanted to believe them and now she did. The Hulk was no longer a fairy tale giant, he was real, and she'd seen him with her own eyes.******

** "Pat?" McGee put a hand on her shoulder, startling her. "What are you thinking about?" He looked down at her sitting on the bed as he stood still. She looked up at him, pushing her full, brown curls from her eyes and smiled.******

** "Yes, Jack, I'm fine." She smiled tiredly at him, and he couldn't blame her. He'd hardly been able to register seeing the Hulk for the first time. At least now he knew that the editor, Pat, believed him. He was no longer an obsessed lunatic to her, he was a rational reporter.******

** "You didn't answer me. I asked what you were thinking about?" He put his hand under her chin and held it lightly there, putting no pressure on her skin. He could tell she used facial moisturizer, and her shampoo smelled of lilacs. Jack could feel the rough, calloused skin on his fingers rubbing against her soft face, and he let his hand down a little, afraid to mar Pat's perfect complexion. To his surprise, she closed her eyes and sighed, as she dropped her head into his hand, and he could feel the silkiness of her hair. ******

** "I was thinking," she sighed resignedly, "about what you've shown me today. The impossibility of it all, and there it was, right in front of me." She lifted her head, and motioned to the empty space ahead of her. "Jack, it was impossible, but you found it, you found him." ******

** "I know." He sat down on the comforter next to her, trying to put as much weight on his feet so he couldn't move the bed, but it creaked loudly anyways. ******

** "But how is it possible?" She looked at him, her eyes slowly misting, and glazing as she thought about the man that Jack chased. "What is it like to live like that?" Jack stared into her eyes as his started to waver, and his jaw tightened. ******

** "I," his voice caught in his throat and he choked on it for a minute, "I don't know, but I want to help him. To find out how Doctor Banner is connected, and what made this man the way he is." The comforter shuffled as they moved to face each other, but Pat kept her shoulder pointed at him and looked over it at Jack.******

** "Jack, did you ever wonder, what your chasing might do to him?" She sniffed, as Jack watched her face grow soft; quite the change from the hardened young woman he had ridden to the refinery with.******

** "I know it troubles him, but I can't stop Pat. I could never live with myself if someone else was hurt at his hands. I just couldn't go on like that. I don't know how he does it." Jack moved his hand as his fingers touched hers. Her hand was shaking, and she wrapped her fingers around his. He helped steady her hand as he held it firmly in his strong grip, the same one that had gripped the handle of a gun not a few hours ago, ready to stop the Hulk, and his reign of terror he had on the country, and Jack's psyche. They both looked down at the tangled fingers and laughed airily. ******

** "I'd better get ready to go to bed. I have a meeting tomorrow when we get back, and I can't miss it." She stood up from the bed and walked into the bathroom and locked the door. Jack looked at the wooden paneling after her, and sat still. He heard the shower start, and began to think of how beautiful she was, with her long curly hair and exploring eyes.******

** "It'd never work." He whispered, and tugged off his sweaty suit, and pulled on a clean t-shirt and pair of shorts. Jack opened the comforter and grabbed the remote, clicking through the sparse channels, and eventually turned the TV back off. He sat in bed with the remote in his hand, and listened to the water running in the shower. The room was quiet, with only the bedside lamp to light the room as he heard Pat's wet feet slap the cold tile, and then the clatter of plastic bottles. Jack imagined her putting on a facial, with her hair in curlers and cucumbers over her eyes, and started to laugh at himself.******

** "Jack? What's so funny?" Pat's head stuck out of the doorway, her pajamas consisting of a loose shirt and pants. Her face was clear of the green colored mud Jack had imagined, and her hair dripped down her shirt, making it cling to her body and back as she slid into her own, separate bed. She lay on her side, and held her head in her hand as she looked at him expectantly.******

** "Nothing. It was nothing." He fought his fit of laughter at her sweet, unblemished face and turned his back to her, and closed his eyes. As always the Hulk was there, waiting in all his great, green bulk, but Jack could feel the ability to fight the monster off this night, and sleep soundly. ******

** "Good night, Jack." Pat whispered and flopped onto her back, putting her hands behind her wet head and staring at the ceiling. The fan above her bed spun slowly and deliberately as she followed a single paddle in its endless circle until her eyelids became too heavy to keep open. ******

** In the middle of the night, Pat heard Jack talking in his sleep as he tossed from side to side, mumbling about the Hulk.******

** "No, please, go away. Go away!" He nearly shouted as he gritted his teeth, and Pat watched his body tense in the dark room, grabbing the edges of the bed, trying to squirm from an unseen threat.******

** "Jack? Jack!" She nearly fell out of bed and kneeled on the floor, putting her manicured hand on his forehead, trying to wake him.******

** "Pat! My god, Pat! Get out!" He begged in his hallucination, as Jack watched Pat standing in the back of the hotel room as the Hulk threw McGee into the wall. Jack couldn't believe the Hulk had tracked them to the hotel, and was about to hurt Pat.******

** "Jack, help me!" She cried as the Hulk stood over her as she slunk to the ground in the corner she had been pinned in. Jack stood up, setting his hand on a gun on the counter and aimed at the Hulk. The massive green man turned on McGee, and he shot, the creature instantly slumping to the ground on top of Pat. Jack ran over to her and managed to roll the body off of her, to find her eyes wide with horror, and dead.******

** "Pat! No!" He picked up her body and held it in his arms, stroking the hair that still smelled of lilacs. "Pat, don't leave me!" He cried into her hair as he rocked back and forth.******

** "Jack, wake up, it's only a dream." Pat finally started to get a response after Jack had begged her to not leave. His lids fluttered when they snapped open and he looked at her, petrified. His limbs stiffened, as his breathing slowed a little, realizing he'd been dreaming.******

** "Pat, are you alright?" He leaned over, loosening his arms enough to tilt his body onto its side.******

** "Of course I am." She smiled patiently as he caught his breath. "But are you okay?" She looked at him, both hardly able to actually see each other in the dark, only silhouettes. ******

** "Yeah." He leaned over, and for some reason neither could explain later, they held each other as Jack's body heaved in relief. He kept her close, so she couldn't see his tears as the fell on her already wet shirt, and against her curling locks. He readjusted his grip on her two or three times as he took a breath of relief, when he suddenly broke out sobbing.******

** "Jack?" Pat held him tight, feeling the relief she was able to give him.******

** "Pat, I'm so sorry." His body heaved again, when he sniffed loudly and let go of her. "Pat, I think you know already, how I feel about you…"******

** "But it will never work, Jack. I care for you too, but not that much, and if we did get involved, it wouldn't be good for our careers." Jack smiled through his wet face and bloodshot eyes at her. He was barely able to make of the small lines of regret, but also happiness at being able to help him. He pulled her to him again and this time he slid out of the bed and onto the floor, holding her whole body against his.******

** "I know Pat. I know." They stayed on the floor exchanging comforts and embraces as they talked about Jack's following the Hulk, and Pat living with her father's reputation. After a while, Pat looked up at the clock and realized it was early in the morning.******

** "Jack, it's almost three. We've been talking since 11:30." She whispered as he looked at the small red glow in the dark, hardly able to read it through the haze of his exhaustion.******

** "So it is." His voice was hoarse, as he woke up his tingling legs and managed to sit on the edge of his bed, as Pat did the same. They were facing each other, in the dark, cold from having let each other go.******

** "Jack, how is this going to work?" Her shadow moved.******

** "Pat, you know it's not. I love you, but…" He looked towards the window behind him, as the bed sank next to him, and the back of his neck was hot with a small kiss. He remained staring out the window as Pat moved from her place next to him, and quietly shuffled in between her sheets. Jack sat still until he heard Pat snore lightly, bringing a smile to his lips. He stood up and bent over, smoothing the hair from her forehead putting a small kiss in the middle. Then he opened his own sheets again and wrapped them tight around his body, pinning his own arms to his side. Jack looked out the window as the lights of a car pulled through the parking lot, illuminating the thick drapes of cheap fabric, and passing over his eyes. He closed them as a ray sprang between the cloth, and found himself unable to open them again, lost in a calm and quiet rest.**


	2. Small things

**"Life goes on" Part 2**

**By: LonelyInvisible**

**Jack woke up the next morning to the sound of more water running in the bathroom as his eyes cracked open. He realized he'd rolled in his sleep and that the sheets were now tightly wound about his neck, making him wonder how he had managed to not suffocate during the night. He bounced his body a few times until the sheets loosened enough for his arms to move, and then slowly released himself from the trap.**

**"Pat? Are you alright?" He slid his bare feet over the brown, worn carpet to the bathroom door and knocked lightly as he yawned. **

**"Yeah, why?" Pat opened the door with a towel around her body, and her hair up in another. Jack's eyes were baggy and in small slits. He yawned rudely, trying only half-heartedly to cover his mouth. He had two silver fillings, one of his front teeth was chipped and his breath was slightly rank.**

**"Another shower?" He raised an eyebrow in his trademark McGee fashion and lazily flipped a hand in the direction behind her.**

**"A quirk of mine." A corner of her mouth lifted into a smile as she shut the door in his face. Jack groaned and leaned against the door, setting his forehead against the hallow wood. He could hear her moving in the room as she set plastic bottles on the counters and got dressed. **

**"Women." He muttered and dragged his body over to his bed and sat on the end. He stared at the blank TV screen until Pat walked out of the bathroom, the towel still on her head.**

**"It's so dark in here." She walked briskly past him and threw the thick shades open as he slapped his hand over his face in protest.**

**"Warn me before you do that, will you?" He stood up and went into the bathroom with a little more life in his tired steps. Pat had put all of her bottles and such back into a closed bag that sat on the countertop. Jack snapped the shower curtain to the side and turned on the shower, steaming water falling loudly into the tub.**

**Pat waited patiently as she dried her hair, when Jack finally came out of the bathroom, a towel around his waist, as he quickly grabbed his bag and dashed back into the bathroom. Pat smiled as his blushing face disappeared behind the door, and he came out a few minutes later, smelling of sweet flowers.**

**"Don't say anything." He grumped as Pat went back into the bathroom and took her shampoo off of the counter, and put it into her open bag. Jack gave her the keys to his car and he went to return the key to the manager of the little motel they had roomed in. Pat found his car and turned the key and shifted into gear, driving to the front of the motel, and moving over to the passenger side. She waited as Jack talked with the manager for a minute, and then came out of the motel's atrium.**

**"What did you guys talk about?" She looked at him as he pulled quickly out of the driveway and onto the street, remembering to put on his seatbelt when he reached a second light.**

**"What else? He asked me about the Hulk? He was wondering if it was _real_." Pat smiled as Jack merged onto the highway, starting the long six hour drive back to the National Register, with his window down, letting the wind blow his hair wild.**

**"Jack, I'm really sorry, but there was no shampoo in the shower to start with." Pat broke the long silence; Jack looked accusingly at her, and then brought his concentration back to the road, a smile creeping onto his face until he started to chuckle. Pat and Jack quickly exchanged glances and then looked back to the road again, both snickering until they couldn't contain themselves, and burst out laughing. **

**They finally pulled into the parking lot of the National register and Jack parked the car as close as he could to Pat's executive space. He carried her bag as they walked to her car.**

**"It was very kind of you to give me a chance, Patricia." He swung her bag a little carelessly. "And I'm sorry that I may have been rude to you in the past." Pat stopped and looked at his travel-worn face.**

**"Jack, of all people who should be apologizing, it should be me, not you." She smiled softly, and he returned the expression, if a little awkwardly. He handed Pat the bag and she dropped it into her car and walked with Jack up to his office, using the stairs. They reached his floor and Pat turned just before she started up the next flight and looked at him. **

**"Well, I'll be seeing you." Jack said nervously, pushing his hands into his blazer pockets.**

**"Sure. See you soon Jack." Pat smiled and started up the stairs. "Oh Jack," she turned in time to see the door hiss shut. She looked down at her small feet tucked nicely in their uncomfortable heels, and carefully made her way to her own office with the large window and a view of the area around the National Register.  
**

**Jack kept his hands shoved in his pockets as he walked hastily to his desk, praying that no one would notice the smell of his hair. He made it to his office without incident, and looked down at his desk. It was covered with notes about calls that had claimed another lead on the Hulk. He sat down and sighed, looking at his pile of calls to make, and pushed them aside. Beneath was a map of the States, and it was littered with markers of known Hulk sightings. **

**"Hey, Mr. McGee." One of the office secretaries had an armful of files she was barely able to hold. "I have some letters for you, and also a couple of things from higher up." Jack looked up at her half-dazed, tilting his head to the side a little.  
**

**"What?" He moaned, barely audible. It took her a few seconds to figure out what he had said.**

**"I have your mail." She walked in and set it on a relatively clean corner of his desk, less populated by stray papers.**

**"Oh, thank you Nancy." She smiled and nodded, then left the office quietly. If it weren't for the stack of files now on his desk, Jack would have completely forgotten she'd been there.** He looked at his now perfectly covered desk, and thought about Pat. He remembered when he'd seen her for the first time, how she'd walked into his office with her father, and laughed with him at his ridicule of Jack's work. She'd changed since then, now she believed him, and most of all, she felt the same for him. Jack dropped his head into his hands at the thought.

"How utterly pointless." He mumbled to his self as he stared at the blurry map of lines and dots. "How sadistically ironic." He smiled to himself when he heard a knock on the wall and his head jolted up to see Patricia in his doorway.

"What's ironic Jack?" She stood in front of his desk with her hands on her hips. She looked at his swamped desk and sighed. "How do you get anything done?" She motioned with her head to his 'organization.'

"I don't." He scoffed and set his head back in his hands. He ran his fingers through his hair a few times before exhaling loudly and dropping one arm on the desk, some of the papers fluttering off to the ground. "Pat, what have I gotten myself into?" Pat got to her knees and set her chin on his desk.

"Jack, I think you're doing something worth following. I know a lot of false stories get printed in my paper, but this one is worth every word you put into it. This is a _real_ story, Jack, and if you keep following it, I know you'll find that man." Jack lifted his gaze off of his desk and looked into her own eyes. Her smile was soft, and it made his heart flutter to see her looking at him like that.

"Thank you, Patricia. That means a lot to me, really." She took his hand in hers and squeezed it reassuringly. She stood up, smoothed her suit and walked to the door.

"Jack, it's been an hour since we got back. You look exhausted. I want you to go home for a little and get some rest. I'll take care of the Hulk for today." Jack watched as she lightly knocked on the doorframe as she walked out. He looked down at his desk, seeing his hand as it tingled with the sensation of her hand, the lotion-covered silkiness of her skin and the smell of her shampoo still in his hair. He gathered his coat and a few files off the top of his stack and walked out of his office, locking the door behind him. Jack slung his coat over his shoulder as he walked to the elevator and waited patiently for its annoying ring.

Pat watched Jack walk out of the front of the building from her window in the top floor as he walked to his car. She could see a little more life in his step, but he still walked like he hadn't slept in days. She saw him fumble with his keys until he opened the door to the car and glanced quickly up at her corner office, unable to see through the tinted windows, and got in. Pat waved lightly to his car as it exited the lot and drove away.

"Pat?" She turned around, startled.

"Don't sneak up on me like that, Jerry." She laughed lightly as he walked in with a small binder in his hand.

"I have the line-up for you. I'll just leave it on your desk." He stretched his arm to lay it on the desk as he watched her gaze out of the window.

"Pat, is something wrong?" He came up behind her and looked out the window, seeing nothing of any significance. Jerry shrugged and walked quietly out of the office, leaving Pat alone. She turned around and looked at the file, and walked over to it, sliding it across the polished surface as she sat down in her chair. She opened up the file and leafed through the articles slowly, making sure that the format looked correct, and the articles were in the right order. She came across Jack's article on the second to last page, and sighed.

"Even though it's the truth, it still gets put in last." Pat smiled weakly at his face next to the title, and moved his article to the second page.


End file.
